Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-04-26
CUSTOMS OF THE JAPANESE.
FROM a n Interesting Lecture.
Polit.ness. Good Nature aud Honesty.

In MS lecture fTOltHSOT EuNafu >.
Morse began by correcting The very COM
nor but n Flea that the Chinese
and japanese resemble each other. They
are affiliated in blood, but he could almost
say that the Americans resemble the
Chinese more than do their insular
neighbors. The rude, hurrying crowds
upon the Chinese streets, the bustling
mercantile spirit, the customs Of the
table, the architecture-almoSt every
popularity in detail, when held up and
compared with those of the japanese,
show that the Chinese resemble Ameri-
ans more closely than they do their
MonSul ncighbors.
The japanese do not, as their tradi-
tons say, come from the sum-, but are the
result OF an admiNture of many blooJs
from many sources. The Chinese would,
as n has said. hold dear at a platter
of rice IA single fact rs a. the causes OF
things" The japanese SEX constantly
for cauSation, and their strength comes
from the constant search for reasons,
while the Chinese are content to accept
results without question. The japanese.
in p~oliteness. gentlencss, kindliness. and
all HAT makes life swcet and graceful,
are as far in advance of us rs we are OF
the Terra del Fuegeans. The japanese
have really two different languages.
They speak a polysyllahic and write a
m~onosyllabic language. As If we were
to speak in English and write in Greek.
They cannot speak their written lam
guage. When a japanese youth leaves
school at Is he knows perhaps 5000 or
5000 words, each representing a distinct
idea. Later, il he studies. he mIy know
10000 or 10000. If he becomes "A pro-
found student he will master $4,000 or
q 0.000. The written language is simply
an archaic Chinese.
The speaker then described the political
status Of the mikado, the l2lst monarch
of his name, and the social distinctions Of
the empire. The records of the dynasty
are scarcely valuable, as the priests of the
days when Buddhism first gained "A hear
ing in Japan tempered with their records
III order TO give their church an antiquity
equal 10 that claimed for Buddha. The
present mikado is the first uf twenty
rulers who has been known To sci his foot
upon the ground, or upon whose face the
vulgar have ever lsen allowed To look.
In japan. the farmer stands above the
merchant. the teacher above the farmer.
and the Samri-at once the fighters.
poets and a~rtiSts-highest among the com
t,..T,.R.- n.lAN,- H.. ,,,.r.La.N- ... ,h,
hborers, the coolies on the street and,
lowest Of all. a class of outlaws.
The JAPANESE are at all times polite
they never have AN impolite mood.
American slapping on the back and how
are you, Bill n are utterly in
comprehensive to them. japanese do
not kiss. shake hands or embrace. They
simply bow, sometimes for five minutes
at a time. Their bows are so nicely grad
uated us to express a wide range of SEN
ument. They are never ~petulant. and
they laugh when they see an American
lose his temper. They neve swear
they have nothing to swear with. They
haven't even the feminine profanity Of
oh, N.Y. good gracious or dear
me. Eating upon the street is consid-
cred a rldeness, even among children
and the very poor. Ii is not only rude to
contradict another. but rude to have a
different opinion. This has its disadvan-
tages, especially when n is in search of
information. as no one viii he impolite
enough to correct his errors. Women
are the servants al their OWN tables. as
they do not sit with their husbands or
~neighhOrS. II is rude Ia c%riticise food or
service ii q hotel or restaurant. There
every conner IS "A guest as il at a private
house.
No matter how pressing ones business
ut q house, il is rude Ia mention il until
the very last thing. and then only Incl
d"ntally. The same is true Of a letter.
There may be a roll Of paper sixteen feet
long. with fifteen feet and nine inches
Of lumbug, and three inches of business,
the only thing for which the letter is
written.
M 0ma is ever insultcd or even an
moved on the street. \ lady may travel
by night or day unattended. throughout
Japan quite safe from any aifront. Kind
ness to animals is universal, and has be-
come provCrbial. Crows are the scaven.
gers upon the city streets, and are never
harmed. Birds build in city houses; wild
fowl alight in the ponds Of the PARKS. If
a dog goes 10 sleep in the busiest street.
the crowd will turn aside rather than dis
turb him. A dog does not know what is
meant when "A stone is thrown at il. In
a busy village street in the inland sea. the
speaker has walked with the wild deer
which has come in from the forest trott-
ing, at either side Of him, waiting for the
rinds If the watermelon which he was
eating. The people study nature with a
true artistic instinct which shows its ef-
feet in their wonderful skill in the me
chanical arts. The japanese have neither
corns MOI other 'miseries' If the feet,
and have wonderful command Of their
toes for various useful purposes, which
speaks well for their shoes.
The partitions in japanese houses are
simply movable screens, and not only
can these be removed and all the rooms
thrown into one, but most Of the outer
walls may also lie taken out, and in hot
weather the family inhabits an open, airy
position. In speaking Of household mat
tiers, the speaker referred TO the charming
diversity of finish and o~rnamentation,
the exquisite finish, the entire absence Of
stiffness and Formally and the bilateral
m~onstrosities which mark the arrange
ment Of so many Of our houses.
The speaker said that for a japanese to
come TO an American table and see q
man beaving at a CORY piece Of meat
with a knife is an experience peculiarly